by Jez Strider
Lovely
By Jez Strider
©2013 Jez Strider
Chapter 1
The constant thrum of pain in my mouth made me want to bang my head on my desk. I was at the point of doing anything to take my mind off the nonstop, maddening ache in my tooth. I had lost a filling to a bastard of a caramel square a few days before. My hope was that the pain would go away on its own, but that hope had nearly completely faded. But to go to the dentist? No way. It’s true what they say about there being no pain like a toothache. Of course, there’s also no terror quite like visiting a white masked, sadist with pliers.
I glanced up at the black framed clock with a white background. Each tick of the second hand moved in time with the throb in my jaw. This wasn’t helping. I turned my attention to the blank piece of paper in front of me that was completely devoid of any notes. I’d already made a few drawings to distract myself, so I returned to it, wishing I was in one of my art classes instead of world history. Why did I have to take boring college courses with no relation to my profession? That was the age old question.
“Ms. Caine, answer the question please.” The grizzled old professor was eyeballing me when I looked up.
“Uhhh….” I frowned and pretended to look over my notes. He’d been droning on about something to do with Egypt. I couldn’t remember. I almost blurted out Ancient Aliens because it was the first thing that popped in my head.
“What is the point of attending this class if you are not mentally present?”
“Sorry.” I noticed several of the other students snickering at me.
“I asked you what the period of art was called during Akhenaten’s reign.” He leaned on his lectern, like a scolding priest about to threaten me with the wrath of Hell. “An art student should know these things.”
The desire to argue built up in me, but my fatigue kept me from starting the debate that art came from the heart and not history. “Amarna,” I said simply.
“Correct.” He turned his attention to the rest of the class. “There will be a test on Monday. I’d suggest a weekend of intense study because each person in this class needs to improve their grades and the exam will not be easy.” The old man removed his glasses and seated himself comfortably in his desk chair. It was the unspoken indication that class was dismissed.
I crumpled the paper I’d been doodling on, picked up my book and purse, and turned around to toss the worthless drawings in the trash. The paper bounced off the rim of the trash can and fell to the floor.
“Don’t try out for the basketball team.” One of my classmates said with a grin as he bent over and picked up the paper. “Isn’t it a bad idea to throw away your notes? I saw you jotting them down like mad during class.”
For the most part I didn’t know my classmates, but I knew this guy’s name. Gavyn Valmore. We’d never spoken before, but I’m certain he’d caught me staring at him a few times. He made me think unladylike things without even doing anything except stand there.
Gavyn had gaged ears, at what I guessed was the smallest size. His dark curly hair hung wild over his head. Brown eyes stared at me from behind nearly matching hipster glasses. Occasionally I could catch a hint of a British accent. I guessed he’d lived in America most of his life.
Somehow, as he sucked the life out of me by taking my breath away, I spoke. “I didn’t take any notes. I sketched a few things to pass the time. You can toss the paper, Gavyn.” After saying his name, I felt dumb. He probably didn’t even know mine.
He straightened and smoothed the paper without looking at it. His eyes were still on me. “May I?”
“Sure.” I shrugged. An entire semester he could have talked to me, but the hot guy decides to get friendly the morning I did little more than brush my teeth before walking out the front door. My ash brown hair draped down my back in a haphazard ponytail and I’d seen dark circles under my eyes when I’d checked myself in the mirror before heading to school.
Gavyn took his time, looking over the small drawings and larger sketch in the center. “This is really good.” He tapped the middle of the paper. “Abe Lincoln.”
I laughed a little which was followed by a wince. The resulting motion in my face had caused the pain in my jaw to flare up. “Good job.” I hoped I didn’t sound like a smartass and regretted the sarcastic comment. “He’s on the poster over there. I was trying to distract myself.”
“Distract yourself from what? School?”
“No… I have a toothache. Not a big deal.”
As he stepped closer to me, he shoved the paper into the front pocket of his hoodie. He rested a hand on my back and led me into the hallway which had already emptied of the other students. Delicately, as if he were handling a baby bird, he placed his hand over the right side of my face.
“It’s swollen,” he said, “Can I give you a ride to the dentist?”
Generally, I’m not a girl who trips over her own two feet when around a guy, but I was having trouble forming words as he stood their gently cradling my face in his palm. “It might go away on its own. I mean, the tooth filling that fell out won’t magically reappear, but maybe the pain will subside. I can tough it out.”
“Farrah, I don’t think this is going to get better on its own. Come on. I’ll hold your hand at the dentist if you want me to.”
“Umm, thanks, but I’ll have to wait until I get paid next week. I don’t have insurance.”
Gavyn lowered his hand and thought for a moment. “I’ll pay. I know a place that takes walk-ins.”
The urge to reach up and run my fingertips over the warmed skin he’d touched was overwhelming. “I can’t let you do that. Why would you even want to do that?”
“I don’t know. Let me keep the drawing you did in class and we’ll call it even.”
“You want to keep a crumpled portrait of Abraham Lincoln in exchange for paying for me to go to the dentist?” I asked, trying to process if he was bullshitting me.
“When you put it like that, yeah, it sounds kind of stupid. Come on.” He took my hand without waiting for an answer and led me down the hallway.
“Why today?” We stepped out of the college building and into the sunlight. I reached into my purse with my freehand and put on my sunglasses.
Gavyn raised his pierced eyebrow. I couldn’t see his eyes clearly because his glasses had started to darken now that we were outside. “Because you’re hurting today.”
“Not that. I meant… why talk to me today? We’ve had class together for a month.” We made our way down some stairs and headed toward the parking lot.
“Maybe my senses were tingling and telling me you were in pain. But mostly, the ball of paper rolled into my shoe and it gave me an excuse to break the ice.”
This surprised me. He didn’t need an excuse. Any day of the week or time of day, I would have been happy to talk to him. “Am I that intimidating?”
He laughed. “Between school, work, and family, I don’t have much time left for women. Usually I don’t approach first.”
“Oh.” We reached the car, a ten year old Altima. The car was in good condition, although not new. I didn’t own a car. It was easy enough walking everywhere I needed to in the city. I slid into the passenger seat when he unlocked the doors.
“Sorry about the mess.” He reached across me into the passenger side floor and picked up a few empty bottles near my feet. “Trash tends to get tossed over there. I save stuff to recycle.”
“No worries.” I smiled as he relocated a couple of plastic bottles to the back seat. “I promise I’ll pay you back for this.”
“Well, I’m not taking the money, but maybe you can draw me a picture of something that isn’t a dead president.” He returned my smile as he started the car. The blaring radio made me jump and Gavyn quickly dialed dow
n the volume. I didn’t recognize the rock band. “Oops.”
“So you’d prefer a drawing of a living president?” I lamely joked.
“Ha! Clever girl, aren’t you? I like that. I want you to draw me whatever you think I’d cherish.”
I thought about it and nodded. “Deal. I may even have a painting you’d like at my apartment. You can look after we’re done with the appointment… if you want.”
“I would love to and graciously accept the invitation.”
Chapter 2
During the ride, I constantly wrung my clammy hands together. Gavyn sang along softly to the local radio station playing the current hits. I found it amusing and adorable how he’d gone from listening to indie music to letting me hear him sing along with pop, rock, and rap songs. With the conversation lulled, I closed my eyes and tried my best to ignore the pain in my mouth. My tube of anesthetic gel had long been squeezed dry.
“We’re here,” Gavyn said a short time later.
Disoriented, I looked around. I’d never been to this area of town. It wasn’t run down or anything liked I’d imagined. I figured a walk-in dentist who pulled out teeth like he worked on a factory assembly line had to keep office in a ghetto.
“I… I’m freaking out. Sorry. I feel stupid.” I placed my hands over my face and inhaled deeply, then exhaled. As I leaned forward and rested my head on my knees to keep from passing out, he rubbed my back gently.
“You know what I’m scared of?”
I shook my head back and forth a little. “Nothing?”
“Yep.” I looked up exasperated and he laughed. “I’m kidding. Tests. I get really nervous.”
“Yeah, but tests don’t hurt and a stranger isn’t probing your mouth during them.” I started laughing.
“Have to say, a stranger probing me is probably on the bottom of my list of things I want. Let’s go inside. You’ll feel better. He might give you some antibiotics and that’s all.”
As much as I wanted to argue further, I opened the door and followed Gavyn inside the small building. I hugged my purse against my chest when I saw a toothless man sitting near the entrance. No teeth and he didn’t even look that old. I stepped closer to Gavyn as we approached the counter.
The woman glared at me, scrutinizing. I swallowed hard to clear my throat before speaking. “Hi. I have a toothache and I heard you take walk-ins.”
“Extraction?” She said in an equally cold tone to match her harsh expression.
“Umm, well, it’s been hurting. A filling fell out and there is a broken piece. I want the pain gone.”
“Extraction.” She repeated, this time not as a question and shoved a clipboard at me without saying another word.
Gavyn was frowning as he led me to one of the plastic chairs in the lobby. “What a bitch.”
“Shh… if they hear you, they’ll be even meaner.” I whispered, taking the ink pen from the top of the clipboard and filling in the required information. “God, I’d go home, but I want this over with.” If I hadn’t in been in public, I would have bawled like a newborn. The constant ache was wearing me down.
“Listen, they may not be friendly, but this doctor gets the job done. I’ve heard good things.”
I sighed, writing fast and sloppily, and then returned the paperwork to the counter. A few minutes after I sat back down, the receptionist screamed a name. The guy near the door stood and she called out his name again impatiently. Gavyn and I exchanged wary glances.
“Farrah Caine!” I stood up quickly, but hesitated, wondering if I should take my purse back to the room.
“I can hold it,” Gavyn said.
Gavyn had been nice to me, but leaving my purse with someone I didn’t know was a leap of faith. When the woman called my name again, I handed it to him. I didn’t have much he could steal. “Wish me luck.”
“You’ll be fine, but good luck.”
I glanced back to see him smiling at me. Something about him sitting there holding my purse like a devoted boyfriend seemed perfect. The last guy I’d dated wouldn’t carry my purse for me if both my arms randomly fell off. Asshole. But not Gavyn, I thought as I was led through a tiny hallway and instructed to lean back on a black pleather looking chair that squeaked with every slight movement. I had little time to think about it further when the bespectacled, chubby dentist walked in and aimed the overhead light in my face.
“The pain is over now,” The dentist said as he began poking my mouth in various places with a needle to numb it. He left the room again and I assumed we were waiting for the anesthetic to kick in even though no one bothered to tell me.
“Do you think you can save the tooth?” I asked when he stopped.
“You have thirty other teeth. I’d say get rid of this one. It’s the only one that’s showing signs of damage. You won’t even miss it.” He held his pliers near my gaping maw.
I was incredulous at his practice, but I didn’t really have the money for root canals or crowns so I gave the go ahead and clenched my eyes shut tightly. It was over in a matter of seconds. The tooth was out. His assistant shoved gauze into my mouth and told me to bite down lightly. They discarded my tooth as if it hadn’t been a part of me for decades. Would a moment of silence for the departed or a few words have been too much to ask? I peered into the trash can on my way out. This was the beginning of the end of my youth. Farewell, old tooth friend.
A thought occurred to me as I made my way to the front. What if Gavyn had left with my purse and I didn’t have the money to pay? Would they make me wash dentistry tools to work off my debt or call the police? I picked up my pace. Relief washed over me when I saw Gavyn in the lobby and gestured for him to come to the counter.
“You okay?” He asked, looking at me sympathetically.
“I think so.” My words were distorted by the cotton gauze.
“You’re drooling a little and your lips are dry.” He pulled a tube of cherry lip balm out of his front jean pocket and applied it carefully to my lips. He turned away from me as if his actions were nothing significant and paid the bill.
“Thank you,” I said, trying to ignore the somersault of my heart.
He handed me the prescription and smiled. “You’re welcome. I guess we should hit up a pharmacy now.”
I groaned as he held the door open for me and we started across the parking lot. “I’d rather go home.”
“You’ll need the medicine.”
We were interrupted near Gavyn’s car by a stranger. “You got scripts for pain pills? I’ll pay for them,” the foul smelling, unsteady man said.
“Are you insane? Get the hell away from her!” Gavyn yelled and led me to the car door, opening it for me. He kept his eyes on the man until he was a good distance away. “Pill heads are ruining this country.”
“Maybe he has chronic pain,” I said, trying to give the man the benefit of the doubt.
“I don’t think so.” Gavyn checked the rearview mirror after he sat down and made sure the druggie was gone before turning the ignition. “Don’t be naïve like that. It’s dangerous.”
I shrugged and ripped up the prescription for the pain meds. “I don’t want them anyway. I’ll take ibuprofen if I need it. The strong stuff makes me hurl.”
“We’ll get the antibiotics. You don’t want to get an infection.” Two pharmacies were conveniently located across the street from each other at the next intersection.
I nodded, keeping my face toward the window. “Some first date, huh?”
“This is a date?” Gavyn laughed a little.
“It was a joke,” I said seriously.
“Can I get a rain check for a real date?” He asked, navigating the crowded parking lot and finding an open spot.
Turning to look at him, I nodded again. “I still don’t understand why you’ve done all this today.”
“Umm… you’re pretty? And smart, which is equally important. I mean… more important.”
I tried to laugh, but it didn’t sound or feel right with my numb face.
I hoped my eyes conveyed my smile. “Thanks. That place sucked. It was like the dental version of a back-alley abortion. All shady and dangerous.”
“Was it that bad? I can go back over there if someone was too rough with you.”
“No, no. Just felt impersonal and made me feel dirty for some reason.” I shuddered. “I’m alright.”
“Give me your driver’s license and I’ll go in to get the medicine.” After I handed it to him, he asked if I needed anything else.
“I don’t think so.”
“Are you allergic to anything?”
“Not that I know of.”
“Alright. Be back soon. Not much longer and you’ll be home resting.” He smiled, closed the door, and locked the car.
Chapter 3
I responded to a text message from my mom while I waited. My parents had a decent amount of money and would have paid for the dentist if I’d asked, but that would have went against what I was trying to do. I was currently entirely self-sufficient. It was to prove a point that I could support myself in the world as an artist. If I lost a tooth or two along the way, so be it.
“Back.” Gavyn placed a plastic bag behind his seat and handed me a different bag with the bottle of antibiotics.
“You’re not like a spy my parents sent to keep track of me, are you?”
“What the heck?” He laughed. “Do I look like a spy?”
“Well, you wouldn’t be much of a spy if I thought you looked like one,” I said. “You’re good looking. Spies should be attractive.”
“True, but no, I’m a normal guy.”
I shook my head. “Nicer than normal.”
He smiled. “How do we get to your place?”
I gave him directions and he nodded, knowing the general location. “I should have kept the tooth they pulled,” I said when we were on the road again.
“Why?”
“I could have worn it as a trophy on a necklace to show that I was brave in the face of danger. Like those guys that kill lions and sharks and wear their teeth.” I smirked, to let him know I was kidding.
